Salicylaldehyde (SA) is a naturally occurring substance. In some plants and plant parts its concentration is considerable. It has been shown by Pasteels J M and J C Gregoire, 1983 (The chemical ecology of defense in Arthropods, Ann Rev Entomol 28:263-289) that larvae of the chrysomelid tribe Phaedomini secret salicylaldehyde. The salicylaldehyde is used as a natural repellent by the feeding beetle against small predators such as ants. The salicylaldehyde is produced by the larvae from salicin, a glucoside, which is extracted by the larvae from the host plant, and further used to produce salicylaldehyde by the feeding beetle.
In a previous invention by one of the co-inventors of the present invention, disclosed in PCT publication WO 2005/102024, the use of salicylaldehyde (SA) either alone or in combination with garlic extract, as control agent for diverse groups of pests was studied. In the present invention, sharing an inventor with the above cited invention, the potential use of SA as a nematode control agent was demonstrated.